Mathieu Betts has become the first Canadian to be named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Defensive Player two times in his career.
The Laval Université graduate received 40 of 53 first-place votes from national voters of the Football Reporters of Canada (FRC). He’s the third B.C. Lions player to win the award twice, joining Cameron Wake and Solomon Elimimian.
The Montreal, Que. native earned his second CFL sack title by taking down quarterbacks 15 times in 18 regular-season games. He also recorded 42 defensive tackles, four forced fumbles, four pass knockdowns, two tackles for loss, and one fumble recovery.
Betts first won the award in 2023 when he put together a historic season with 18 sacks, setting a new single-season mark by a Canadian previously held by Brent Johnson and Jamaal Westerman. That year, he was the first B.C. pass rusher to lead the CFL in sacks since Keron Williams in 2012, while his 42 defensive tackles set a new career-high.
The 30-year-old originally signed with the Lions for the 2022 season. He’s played 61 regular-season games with B.C., registering 125 defensive tackles, 42 sacks, seven forced fumbles, four special teams stops, along with one interception returned for a touchdown.
The B.C. Lions finished second in the West Division standings in 2025 with an 11-7 record and beat the Calgary Stampeders in the West Semi-Final before losing the West Final to the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Nathan Rourke threw for 5,290 yards, 31 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions over 16 regular-season starts, posting an 11-5 record. He was also named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player.
The Lions ranked first in net offence, fourth in net defence, and sixth with a turnover differential of minus-four. James Butler rushed for 1,213 yards, Keon Hatcher led the CFL with 1,688 receiving yards, and Micah Awe led the league with 117 tackles. B.C. finished third in attendance with average crowds of 27,124, which was a 0.9 percent increase from the previous year.
